LP03

What is it? Four weeks now? Still have ankle pain and finally made an Ortho appt. so I can get the standard rest and physical therapy response. If I’m lucky, I can get an MRI so they can tell me the same thing but get another 180$ out of me.

At this point, I just want to run at all.. I’d be happy working 5k speed and sprint Du’s this summer if that’s all I can do. I’m obviously not cut out for distance, this was the slowest build up I’ve ever done and it didn’t make a difference. Oh well.

Let’s hope. I’m taking this week off again. I did roadwork Saturday and the ankle wasn’t bad. It didn’t feel perfect though so I don’t want to push it. Roadwork isn’t a great test anyway since it’s just 200 meter strides.

On another weird ass note, the outside of the same ankle is KILLING me Today. No idea why. Just started while walking, no acute injury, no starting pains. Very weird.. I’m hoping it just got tweaked or something and will be fine in a day.

That is all.

Going to take the week off to see if I can’t heal this ankle. It’s not getting better running on it and though it’s not getting worse either it’s inevitable that it will. I’ll keep on the bike and strength training since they don’t seem to produce any negative effects.

Looks like I’m going to end up with some time off. I had some weird feeling in the ankle yesterday while running, kind of like motion or scraping. It could be the tape job as it wasn’t spectacular but I don’t want to risk it. I’m going to do a short run tonight and see how that feels but I think regardless, I’m going to take a break and let this heal a bit.

I’m starting keep a log again of my training. Funny how this happens just as I get another running injury. I’m 100% sure it’s posterior tibial tendonitis caused by running on the same side of the road too often. It’s actually quite painful but I’m going to tape it and run on the other side for a little while and see what happens. I did this last week and the pain was non-existent so I’m hoping this will balance out the muscles. If it doesn’t work, I’ll be looking at a week or two of rest. It sucks but it’s not that big a deal, I still have plenty of time for training.

It’s a new year and time to start blogging again. Starting Monday..

Here’s a rundown of where I’m at:

40-43 miles per week (long run: 14 miles)

~7 hours on the bike trainer

4-5 strength training days

I’m pretty happy with my training pace now and haven’t any reason to worry.. yet. The plan is still to run Seattle RnR Marathon, but we’ll see if that holds up.

Later!

Yeah, it’s been awhile. I’ve re-gained training motivation but lost blogging motivation. Go figure.

So, I’ve been progressing pretty much on target. I’m running 36-38 miles a week with a long run at 12 miles or so (first 12 miler today, actually). I’ve pretty much dropped outdoor biking for the winter. I’ll run in any condition but biking… I just don’t like it enough to put myself through a couple hour bike ride when it’s 20 degrees out. That said, I’m working the trainer 1-2 hours a day but usually split up since it’s boring as hell.

I’ve increased strength training as well, sort of- I’m just being more consistent with it. Hitting the kettlebells 3 times a week (one those a roadwork session) and rock climbing should keep my core strength up since core workouts are the one thing which I just can’t find the time to do. I’ve also just started sandbag training, which I am really excited about. I did my first session yesterday and I felt like I’d been in a fight by the time it was over. I definitely think this is going to improve my overall strength in pretty much every area. I’m going to have to monitor my shoulder though, there’s so much stabilization involved with sandbags that’s a bit rough on rotator cuff tendonitis.

That’s it for now, I’m not planning on making daily training logs for awhile. I’m just taking this time to enjoy running through puddles and snow. Once February comes I’ll get serious. Oh, one last thing. If this training base holds up and I come out healthy I think I’m going to hit up a marathon this summer. Maybe Seattle.

Things have been pretty quiet around here lately. I’ve lost a lot of motivation to train so I’ve had some inconsistent weeks, some mild weight gain, and extra time to think about where I’m going with all this in the next year or so. I think I’ve made a plan but my plans generally don’t last very long so we’ll see. Here’s what I’m thinking…

I cut it pretty close on the injury front by running PDR. It took me off of running for two solid weeks and I’m just now getting back some confidence in my legs. So, I’m done with racing until the spring and starting my base phase now. I’m taking it slooooooow this year. If I look at what I’m doing now as a start point, I’m running 18-20 miles and biking 80-120 per week with kettlebell weight training 2-3 days, core 1-2 days, and misc cardio via the bike trainer or gym at about 4-6 hours. Bike training will ramp up early next year as I’m not as concerned with injuries there.

I plan to follow the 10% (or less) rule on running and average 100 miles/week on the bike + some trainer time. This is how I’d like to progress over the winter:

November 1st:20 rmw/100 bmw

December 1st:29 rmw/100 bmw

January 1st: 38 rmw/100 bmw

February 1st: 45 rmw/100 bmw

March 1st: 50 rmw/ 150 bmw

… and so on …

I’m going to make a decision about my focus for next year around March when I see how I’m feeling under a solid training load. My options are basically long distance duathlons or a marathon (as well as other running races).

Swimming doesn’t seem to be working out so I’m not considering it in any plans. It’s possible it still might happen but I’m not counting on it. I don’t have the money for a coach and finding time to get with the one swimming friend I have hasn’t been possible yet.

So I guess that’s it for awhile. I’ll probably be updating on occasion and try to bring the data section up to date again.

Tried to go out for a run yesterday and made it about 1.5 miles before stopping due to pain in my right quad. Tried a quick massage and started again but the pain returned shortly. Finished at 3 miles with a slight limp. Not a good thing, I’m guessing. The weather is going to suck for the next 3 or 4 days and my motivation is dead so I’m going to hit the gym for light cardio this week, do some climbing, and try again with running and biking next week. I should be starting my swim training soon as well, so if this turns out to be another injury, that should help keep me active.

In other, much better news, I bought a new motorcycle last night. An 07′ Triumph America…

Actually, it looks better in person. It’s an adjustment from my 450 but so far I’m loving it. Damn rain.. the only problem with getting a new bike is not wanting to get it dirty :/